Playing Changes Using The Modes (part 1)

[@richbrownbass]

Part 2 is coming soon. Stay tuned, friends & neighbours!

[@jimfurlough8586]

I appreciate the lack of PDF's and such and your reasoning behind it. On stage, no matter how much practice goes into a show, things don't always go as planned. It is those moments when everyone is working on the fly and actively listening and responding that the magic really happens. From a handful of semesters of music theory classes over twenty years ago, the most important lessons that have helped me were related to ear training. Being able to recognize intervals up and down makes it much easier to pick out things by ear. The most painful part of the process was sight singing from sheet music and vocally reproducing intervals from a set tonic. I am not a singer, but with every instrument I've learned to play, the first thing that seems to happen is related to sorting out the intervals and how to make them happen on command. Singing helps internalize the intervals because it forces you to feel and taste the flavors. The alphabet is 26 letters. There are less intervals to learn up and down. It is worth the effort when learning the language.

[@stevieffs]

Absolutely. I'll admit to being someone who gathers paper, thinking I'll have a look at it later. After watching that (simple, deep) lesson, taken at a gentle pace, I'm inspired to get on and do the job!

[@KirkDickinson]

Next level practice. Play through all the arpeggios in each of the mode positions.

[@KojoYe]

Thank you 🙏🏾 🇧🇷

[@nancydoane7864]

Thank you Rich! I started playing 2 1/2 years ago when I was 61. I TOTALLY dig playing bass but starting so late in life has made some things seem so hard to learn. Your teaching style is so calming it helps me be patient with myself! Thank you for that! Just what I needed!

[@stelly8839]

I am a beginner to theory almost a year as a worship bass player and your channel has helped me so much to understand theory and to help me improvise correctly

[@feoil]

I have been playing bass for over thirty years; this video was a serious eye opener. Thank you good sir!

[@LowEndNewbie]

I saw your SBL modes lesson. This is probably the best exercise that freed up the fretboard for me. I took the same patterns and practiced them horizontally as well, along with the modes. I felt like a blind man who received his sight, "I can see! I can see!" Thanks Rich.

[@bassomatic6055]

I'm with you on this sentiment. I did something similar, where for a given key (say G). I did all the inversions up the E string and did all the diatonic arpeggios in each position.

[@paulrichardson3860]

There’s a big difference between experience and wisdom. This is wisdom man, pure gold. And it’s super charging my practice! 💪🤘 thanks so much 🙏

[@richbrownbass]

This means a lot, Paul. Thanks very much.

[@voightbillvoight5748]

Hi Rich I am a79 year old bass player from Auckland NewZealand. I really enjoy your videos and just want to let you know that you are teaching an old dog new tricks. Many thanks .

[@richbrownbass]

That means a lot. Thank you very much. It's always good to know these videos are helping. We should all be fortunate enough to keep on rocking at 79. More power to you, brother.

[@voightbillvoight5748]

@@richbrownbass I believe the reason I can still play my instrument is that I put in a minimum of an hour a day every day, This I know keeps my brain and hands in very good condition. I can still get around my 6 and 7 string basses very easily. I hope that my experience will help keep bass players motived. I still see a little improvement every day. So age is no excuse!!

[@davidbalan6571]

Wow !! Perfectly Amazing cool that's awesome .

[@kevmac1230]

There's times I would like PDF but I understand your intentions.I do figure it out.Thank you.

[@N0B0DY_SP3C14L]

The shifting/inversion trick is very cool, however it has one major pitfall. It ends up stacking notes really closely together. Great for some circumstances, and super useful, and I will certainly use it. I'm sure you're already aware of this trick, but many may not be, so it's this: instead of looking at a major scale like 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 you can look at it like 1,9,3,11,5,13,7. The second way treats the 2-4-6 notes as extensions, meaning, if playing a chord voicing, you stack the notes unless notated as an "add". For example, a C9 chord will contain the 1,3,5,7,9 and you can use all of those notes to help spell things out. Likewise, a C11 chord has 1,3,5,7,9,11 in it. Some people would think of it as Csus4, but in fact a "sus*" chord is the same as an "add*", meaning only the 1,3,5 are necessary to spell out the chord then add the other note(s), usually one octave above the root. The reason for these is that by playing the extensions in the next octave up, you avoid creating a muddy mess. It's not a bad practice to treat 3s as 10s as well. I am looking forward to using this inversion trick and seeing where it applies best!

[@osbertwilliams298]

2:05am Thank you Rich you showed me how to use the proper fingering to play

[@tr3sidential]

Thanks! Love your lessons👊🏾

[@richbrownbass]

Thank you so much!

[@JasonLeonPike]

Agree completely about not providing the transcription. Thank you for all you provide.

[@richbrownbass]

My pleasure, Jason. Thank you for watching.

[@unclemick-synths]

Working my way through your modes videos 👍

[@whodaman5]

Very helpful. Really clearly explained. Thanks!

[@andifery8655]

Great lesson, it helps me a lot to improve my bass playing in the church band. Thanks Rich God bless you.

[@1flat1sharp47]

Thank you for that comment about PDFs. I have downloaded plenty of PDFs over the years, and they are helpful at first, but I get more out of rewatching the video and taking notes on the things that I missed or that I struggled with.

[@richbrownbass]

I grew up at a time when instructional DVDs (and VHS tapes) were all the rage. I would watch and rewatch those videos without cracking open the accompanying written material. Probably not the best advice for young musicians now, but not relying on the notation has helped develop my ears in immeasurable ways.

[@1flat1sharp47]

@@richbrownbass Yes, we need our eyes to learn music that we can't listen to (if no recording is available), but with our ears, we can learn anything we hear. Some of it just takes a lot of work and we need to prepare ourselves with proper training.

[@davedave8608]

let's go Browndon!

[@gospel_bass]

Great idea, Rich! Creativity unlock. Thank you! God bless!

[@richardburchett]

Embarrassed I hadn't thought of this before now. I had been practicing modal arpeggios by changing position with each mode. This one-position approach would have helped out a lot in jazz band

[@lareunoia]

no need to apologize. i think your learning philosophy is a good one

[@mechoob9853]

Dude…thank you so much for taking the time to make these videos, I’ve seen many now and they’re all wholesome as f*€k and very inspirational. I appreciate you brother, keep on keepin’ on!

[@Grumdot]

tough love is a good thing

[@pcl1886]

Brilliant! So good! Thank you.

[@mojoemurphy]

This is what I was missing, appreciate you showing me this!

[@jimhughes1070]

Gittin' IT !!!😎🙏

[@kroliia3116]

working through your “theory and harmony” playlist ♡ great stuff that really helps me connect music theory to the fretboard

[@josephromano7867]

Thanks Rich!!!!

[@pursuitoftone5732]

Great addition to your library, Rich! And I like the tough love approach, your ears are so immensely powerful, they need the work as much as your fingers do :D

[@thale1173]

Great advice Rich, I always listen like a thief, if I learn it from paper, I find I “ need “ the paper. Without the paper, it’s literally less baggage. Thanks T Hale

[@richbrownbass]

Listen Like Thieves! That’s great advice (a great album too). You’re so right about the paper!

[@cud981]

Brilliant lesson, really helped me .I also love to just listen to your voice , keep up the good work.

[@groovyshades8055]

I was also wondering about PDF most of the other Bassers put them up. I have a lot of them, you make me think more and I can slow you down if I get lost with where your fingers are going and then I can also hear if I make a mistake yes good ear trying also and you do sound funny in slow mo. cheers Rich.

[@Dxsoftsynth]

the lesson i been searching my entire life.. thank you rich for your talent and thank you for sharing this amazing lesson and thank you for your life i am a fan here in philippines .. i'm crying right now

[@richbrownbass]

Oh my goodness. Thank you so much. Thank you for your very kind words. Much love to you and yours, my brother. 🙏🏾❤️

[@marciosouza8656]

Great lesson! Thanks Rich !!

[@tomjackson5815]

Great exercise thanks rich. I always find my fingers and my ears move faster than my brain. Like a conversation things move faster than you think but thinking ahead of what’s going on is what I try to do and your exercise and thoughts on it are very helpful, thank you.

[@nuggers23]

Good to see you back here!

[@dslapster64]

I’ve learned so much . Excellently done. Now to go and practice

[@richbrownbass]

Thanks very much. Now I have to go and do the same. Happy 'shedding'!

[@groovyshades8055]

that's good teaching Rich thanks

[@richbrownbass]

My pleasure. Thank you for watching.

[@thomaswalker8790]

Richy, it's vintage stuff from you once again! Hats off to you buddy, you just aced it!!

[@richbrownbass]

Thank you very much, Thomas. Means a lot, man.

[@logun.watkins]

I’m loving your content. Your a great teacher.

[@hriatpuiaheihkhrimz1407]

Great lesson....💥💥

[@markaries8787]

Awesome once again, thanks for the practical visuals and the how to apply them. Always looking forward to reviewing your collection of video. Just a thought, create a series on DVD and sell them on your site! 👍👍👍

[@richbrownbass]

That’s not a bad idea at all, Mark. Thank you!

[@gregorywilliams744]

bro u r so good as a teacher

[@hoolyboy]

Nice!

[@heruausetausar]

Thanks, Rich! This exercise expanded my awareness!

[@richbrownbass]

Thank you, Michael. I'm so glad this video helped.

[@stanleyzawzaw]

Thanks!

[@travisreed5965]

This would be over my head. Will try it a few times and see where it takes me. Excellent tutorial but I am still a young grasshopper here. Congrats with all your endeavors!! Go Team Human Cheers

[@LowEndProposition]

Try the same exercise in Cmaj if it helps for a starting point. Most are most familiar with C. Once you have that down, you should try it in Gmaj. Then in all 12 keys.

[@travisreed5965]

@@LowEndProposition Brilliant - That totally makes sense to me- I appreciate all the help - Be We And Thank You Cheers

[@nuggers23]

Wow, this is so useful!!

[@thesavvybassist]

I'm a pro player and I find so much benefit in your content and delivery. Thank you for your channel and sharing your knowledge. Found the JOIN button when I logged in on my MacBook. FYI there is no JOIN button on the iOS KZbin app.

[@richbrownbass]

Thank you so much, Scot. Apparently, Apple wanted a huge share of the revenue from the KZbin membership program being used on IOS devices. KZbin said no dice and removed the JOIN button from the IOS app. Ha!

[@AutotrophicOrchestrations]

Love the channel !

[@richbrownbass]

Thanks very much!

[@philipmcadam5339]

Hey thanks for the great lesson Rich. I get what you are saying about PDFs. I can get a bit lazy sometimes when it comes to lessons. No doubt way better to write it out myself, if I want to have it. Then I have to actually think about it.

[@richbrownbass]

I do feel bad about it sometimes. But I think it is the best way for people to learn. You're working on your ear training in a huge way as well. Thanks for understanding.

[@philipmcadam5339]

@@richbrownbass Hard work will produce results, Thanks again.

[@ajadrew]

Ears first was how it was from the beginning of time - PS - I thought you were going to play modes through Rhythm Changes! 😊 👍

[@conradfarrar477]

Is that called octave displacement? I think so. Adds a really nice flavour...

[@westanney1712]

Wow, what's with all the ads that have started over the last few days? Great lesson though! Thanks Rich!!

[@richbrownbass]

No idea, Wes. They can be pretty annoying.

[@westanney1712]

@@richbrownbass Thanks Rich. It was meant more as a statement than a question. I see you are doing four nights at The Rex with Mark Kelso. I will make an attempt to get out and see the band....

[@oorishawo]

Greetings from Canada! Good job. Are you playing arpeggios or modes pls? Because the tutorial is on modes but you are playing 1-3-5

[@deangroves8198]

It's because usually on the 3 and the 5, you would change your scale, but as you are using the major scale from the root of the 3 and the 5 chord, your actually playing in the mode of (3) phygian and (5) Mixolydian. This is because the steps and half steps and different to playing in the scale of the major from the root of that chord

[@richbrownbass]

This is a preliminary exercise using arpeggios. Part two will really get to the point of what I'm talking about using the modes.

[@kmanley29687]

This may be something you've already answered previously, but what's the instrument behind you next to the door?

[@ordureauvincent8739]

how about a minor chord, rich? do i have to play the same with the relative minor chord of a major chord? (hope you get my question makes sense....bad english ;) ) awsome teaching man, you're great, i like your smooth voicing! big up from france!

[@richbrownbass]

Yes, that's correct. If you're on a minor chord, you can always think of it as the 6th mode of the relative major. I hope that helps. Thanks for watching.

[@ordureauvincent8739]

@@richbrownbass it helps!!!thank you

[@Wolf-Spirit_Alpha-Sigma]

69 like, 0 dislikes. Nice. I'm gonna spoil it a little by adding one more thumbs up.👍

[@richbrownbass]

Thank you. This will change. There's always 3 or 4 people who have to click thumbs down on every single one of my videos. 🤷🏾‍♂️

[@nuggers23]

First to comment! 🥇

[@sigiriabeysekara8723]

Don't think so...

[@nuggers23]

@@sigiriabeysekara8723 good luck next time! ;)

[@emanuelet6372]

Hi there is it possible to have live private lessons with you?

[@richbrownbass]

I'm afraid I'm too busy to take on new students at this time, but I'll keep you posted. Thank you.

[@carlboswell986]

Use your ears. I think that's some really good advice.

[@eyewoa..t.v7588]

Please please please I need a video from you.how to develop a ghost note,my name is Ibrahim baba from ghana

[@bassofspades500]

Hate to be that guy but at 7:49 I think you meant F#min7 b5. 🙂

[@richbrownbass]

Yep

[@jeffreycorcoran4964]

Will you be going over any blues?

[@richbrownbass]

Sure! I can do that. Thanks, Jeffrey.

[@bass_backupvocals]

Genius🫡

[@YummyPork]

Awesome, patient and clear description. Thanks!

[@bassmorpheus]

Thanks!

[@richbrownbass]

Oh wow! I didn't even know this was a thing. Thank you so very much, Peter. 🙏🏾

[@bassmorpheus]

You are a great teacher! Thanks for sharing. 👍🏿❤️🎶

[@meisenman]

Thanks!